By Lance Winslow, Guest Writer
In trailering a motorcycle you must be very careful, because motorcycles bounce around and even if they do not fall down if you have more than one motorcycle on the trailer they might bump into each other and scratch the paint. And that is exactly what you do not want to have happen.
The best way I have found to strap-down motorcycles is to let a little bit of the air out of the tires once they are in place and then you have strap them as tight as possible and to ratchet down straps a little bit more. Then fill the tires back up with air while the motorcycles are on the trailer.
Now once you get to your destination and on your way home you may not be able to do the same thing but at least it will be trouble-free one-way because those straps will be as tight as possible. Sometimes on a long haul it makes sense to go to a gas station near by and use their air.
You must remember when trailering a motorcycle that the motorcycles move from front to back and they bounce up and down when the trailer goes over bumps. They also move side to side if the straps get loose. If the straps work themselves loose because they go forward and backwards than they have more latitude to bounce up and down and this is why you must tighten straps from front to back and holding them down.
And still you must remember they can move side to side. If you do not have wheel holders on your trailer you need to also consider the side-to-side movement, which many people do not do. Please be careful when trailering your motorcycle and you’ll be glad you did.
>”Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/.